Fees likely for town park-and-ride lots

After the University approved in October a new fee for its park-and-ride lots, Chapel Hill and Carrboro might soon follow suit.

Facing increased operating costs, the fee, which will start in August, is part of the UNC Department of Public Safety’s five-year transportation plan to help raise revenue for the transit system.

And Chapel Hill Transit officials say they will likely have to impose a similar fee on the park-and-ride lots located on Eubanks Road, Jones Ferry Road and at Southern Village.

Chapel Hill Transit receives funding from Chapel Hill, Carrboro and UNC, among other sources.

Because of this partnership, local officials said the fee became inevitable once the University made its decision to charge a fee.

“Of course we’d rather not have any fees at all on our park-and-ride lots, but the fact is that the University is pursuing fees,” said Carrboro Mayor Mark Chilton.

“It would cause a whole lot of problems if people weren’t using their lots and flooding ours.”

Town Council member Lee Storrow said it would be difficult for Chapel Hill and Carrboro to maintain free lots.

He said the system expects to begin implementing the fees this summer, when it passes its budget at the discretion of town officials.

“The University’s new policy really forced our hand on this issue,” Storrow said.

“None of us want to require a fee, but the reality is that with UNC making this decision, it’s difficult for anyone to do anything else.”

The University will administer the fee on a sliding scale based on income with a minimum annual fee of $227, or a little more than $1 a day for the academic year.

While Chapel Hill Transit does not have access to information regarding the income of users of its town-owned lots, Chapel Hill Transit Interim Director Brian Litchfield said the fee for town-owned lots would be similar to the University’s fee.

For park-and-riders who use the system on a sporadic basis, Litchfield said, the system will also accommodate their needs.

“We know a lot of folks don’t use the lots every day, so we’ll also have a monthly and daily fee in place for them,” Litchfield said.

For many students and employees of the University, the new fee would be an unwelcome change.

Dorothy Hart, a junior music and psychology major from Hickory, said she often used the park-and-ride lots to get to UNC basketball games and appreciated its free service.

“It’s sad that certain members of the community could be pushed out by this,” Hart said.

“How can we expect low-income individuals to pay for this?”

Litchfield said he believes the local park-and-ride lots still offer the best option for parking.

“Its still a good deal,” Litchfield said.

“We offer a high level of service with a fairly minimal fee.”

Contact the desk editor at city@dailytarheel.com.